Ride to the End - The Black Chapter
by ChooChooTwins
Summary: After defeating Alder for the title as Unova Champion, White receives a letter from her childhood friend, Black, to head to Nimbasa City. However, rather than the peaceful reunion she was anticipating, her life is thrown into more chaos as she becomes tangled into the business of Subway Masters Ingo and Emmet as they attempt to undermine a plot intent on destroying the region.
1. Chapter 1

White, her hand raised to her mouth, hid her smile once more from her fellow train passengers as she slid a slightly crumpled piece of paper from a plain white envelope. The envelope itself was simply messaged "To White," in hastily scrawled handwriting. She didn't have to look at the return address to know who it was from, although she scanned her eyes over her childhood friend's name anyway.

"You sure enjoy old-fashioned things, Black." She mused to herself, flipping the paper over and unfolding it on her lap, smoothing out the crease. The writing was an obvious attempt to have eligible handwriting, yet the excitement could practically be seen in the jerky scribbles. Nonetheless, White's eyes flitted through the words, absorbing every detail.

"Dear White,

Congratulations on becoming the new Unova champion! I knew you would be able to defeat Alder for the title. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for your coronation, but I have an idea about how I can make it up to you. I'd like you to come meet me at Nimbasa City in a week. We can have a trip down memory lane there! All the rides, the shows and food shouldn't have changed much since our last visit. Oh and don't worry about paying for anything because it's on me. Well I can't wait to finally see you for the first time in what seems like forever.

Sincerely,

Black"

White fought down the fluttering in her heart as she stuffed the paper back into its original home, and she shoved the entire bundle into her bag, closing her eyes as she imagined her friend's face. Memories of the days she spent with him caused her throat to catch oddly, and she cast her gaze downward to hide her reddened face from nobody in particular except the rest of the passengers. The train hardly creaked or groaned as it shot down the narrow, pitch black tunnel, and White could enjoy a relatively bump-free ride, to which she took advantage by settling back into her chair with a deep sigh. She picked absently at a lock of her dark brown hair that twisted over her shoulder, twisting it around her finger before letting it fall once more and contemplating about her destination at Nimbasa City. Black had told her to meet him there, so here she was, on the train speeding towards her meeting destination. Her eyes slowly began to droop as she reminisced; however, she was interrupted when a loud crack rang out from the next train car over. A terrible wail accompanied the noise soon after. White practically leapt out of her seat at the out of place noises, and she whipped around in an attempt to spot whatever had made the sound. Other passengers shifted in their seats, grumbling, as they looked behind them as well. The blood drained from White's face as a tall man, face obscured under a black scarf and hat, burst into their car, violently waving around the pistol he was gripping tightly in his hand.

"Everybody put their hands up!" He ordered in a low, authoritative tone, and although the scarf muffled his voice slightly, the point was clear. A few frightened whimpers emanated from the crowd, but other than that, the passengers remained in stunned silence. White obeyed the stranger promptly, not wishing to find a bullet in her face, and lifted her arms quickly above her head, all feelings of calm completely lost. The other passengers followed suit quickly, items thudding to the ground as people immediately dropped what they were doing to do as he said. Adrenaline shot through White's veins, causing her heart to race and her palms to quiver slightly, yet she kept herself under control given the circumstances.

"Is he going to kill us, mommy?" A little girl cried from somewhere in front of White.

"Quiet!" The gunman snarled menacingly, swinging his arm so that the gun was pointed straight at the girl's mother. "Unless you want your mother to disappear permanently, I suggest you shut your mouth!" White winced and desperately fought the urge to reach for her Pokeballs, which were nestled inside the bag sitting next to her. If he could only look away for a small period of time, then perhaps she could send out one of her Pokemon… No, there was too much risk, she knew.

"Now, each and every one of you are going to hand over your Pokeballs and other personal items to my partner, who is coming over here any second now." He ordered, interrupting White's internal planning and also dispelling her initial plan. As soon as he had spoken, another man clad in similar attire burst through the car door, carrying a large case.

"Everybody come up one by one and hand us your belongings, or else my friend with the gun will make things very nasty for you." He threatened, opening the case. He raked his gaze over the group, and his eyes stopped and settled on White. Her heart sank as she watched him draw breath. "You there, girl, bring your stuff with you. And don't let me lose sight of your hands!" White, moving incredibly slowly, scooped up her bag, which was filled with all of the memories of her journey and her friends. She gritted her teeth and tried as hard as she could not to think about it as she walked stiffly towards where the two men were waiting. Unfortunately, as she handed the bag awkwardly towards him, much to her horror, the letter she had just been reading fluttered out and spiraled dejectedly to the ground. Mortified, she remained frozen to the spot as the man bent down to scoop it up. The other gunman continued to eye her warily as his partner picked it up as if suspecting her of other intentions. "What is this?" The man mused, waving the letter through the air.

"It's nothing, really." White replied desperately, boldly opening her palm in a gesture seeking the return of her letter. "Please give it back, it's important to me." The man scoffed at her, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"You think that this is about you?" He laughed, tightening his fist around the letter and effectively crushing it. "Just hand over your stupid stuff and we won't have to fill your body with lead." White gulped at the threat and let her hand drop to her side. She hung her head dejectedly as the man wrenched her bag out of her hands and threw it into the case. "Go back to your seat!" He ordered, and White quickly spun around on her heels, trying not to suddenly sprint back to her seat. She observed the shocked, petrified faces of the other passengers, some in tears and others with their hands over their mouths as if to stop themselves from throwing up. White slowly sank back into her seat, trying to fight back tears from welling up. There had to be something she could do, she thought, wracking her brain to find a solution. She was the new Champion, for crying out loud; certainly there was something she could do about the situation. The robbers must have not recognized her, as her victory hadn't been announced yet on the news.

"Next person!" The gunman yelled, brandishing his pistol once more. "You!" He gestured towards an elderly man who was cowering in the corner of his aisle. "Get over here and drop your stuff. We don't have much time until the next stop." The old man attempted to speak, but he seemed to choke on his words from pure fear. With a shaking hand, he began to gather his belongings, when the surprising noise of the train doors sliding open caused everyone to turn their heads. White poked her head over her headrest to observe the sudden intrusion, and she watched in shock as two men, clad in long, heavy coats and conductor hats, strode purposefully into the car as if there was nothing wrong going on. One of them was wearing a jet black coat with red stripes, a large folded collar obscuring most of his neck, and a mildly disapproving frown on his face, which was framed with short white hair arced around his ears. Underneath the coat was a white work shirt with a clashing blue tie and smooth black dress pants. His conductor hat was similarly black with a design ornamenting the front that vaguely resembled a TM. The man who stepped beside him, to White's surprise, looked nearly identical, except rather than black, his coat and pants were white instead, and a devious smile lit up his face. The two looked to be about in their late twenties or thirties, and although White felt a glimmer of recognition towards the odd couple, they still seemed extremely out of place in the dangerous situation that was occurring. Rather than react in fear, the two merely folded their arms, and the one in the black coat's frown deepened. A moment of stunned silence encompassed the train car, and White glanced quickly at the robbers. Their faces were taut with shock, and the gunman seemed to shake off his initial surprise as he raised the gun to the two of them.

"I know who you are!" The gunman shouted, his voice quavering for the first time. "I'm warning you, I will shoot!" The man in the white coat turned to the other, his smile now quite sinister.

"What now, Ingo?" He said calmly, his eyes narrowed.

"I say we clear this scum off of our train as fast as possible." He replied, reaching for his coat pocket. The gunman followed his movements nervously with his eyes, and his grip tightened on the gun.

"Don't move!" He blustered, shifting his aim towards Ingo, and White swallowed in fear. Ingo stoically ignored him and dug his hands into his pocket, carefully watching the gun. Moments of tense silence continued as he seemingly continued to rummage around, and both party's eyes never left each other, not even for a second.

As the gunman narrowed his eyes and began to apply more pressure to the trigger, suddenly, the man in the white coat yelled, "Eelektross, Thunderbolt!" White's hair practically rose as a flash of electricity shot through the air, aimed straight at the man's chest. The air filled with the acrid stench of something burning as the bolt made contact with the gunman and ran its current all throughout his body. Before he hit the ground, he squeezed the trigger and a bullet pinged harmlessly against one of the windows, effectively shattering the entire structure. Screams erupted from the passengers as the terrible crash echoed through the tunnel. Glass glinted beautifully in the dim lighting as it rained down on the floor, and the ground soon became entirely coated with the substance. White whipped around and spotted the sleek blue figure of an Eelektross wrapped around the subway bars just above the gunman's head, still crackling with electricity, effectively obscured from sight. White launched out of her seat immediately, but a warning glare from Ingo stopped her in her tracks.

"Chandelure, Psychic!" Ingo ordered, pointing a finger at the already downed man. A Chandelure suddenly seemed to materialize out of the dark corners of the train car, its purple flames flickering violently as it hovered just in front of him. It let out an unearthly wail, and an eerie blue aura seemed to surround the man before he was jerked up like a ragdoll, his limbs stretched in awkward positions. Chandelure screamed once more before the man was thrown to the ground and struck the metal with a terrible thud. The air was completely driven out of his lungs, and he lay there gasping for breath, immobilized by the series of attacks. He could only whimper as he was lifted back up into the air and thrown back down like a limp doll. "That's enough, Chandelure." Ingo grimaced, but White could tell he looked pleased as well. When he turned to glare at the man's partner, he discovered that he was huddling, petrified, in the corner of the car, rendered a complete baby in the face of danger. The two men snorted simultaneously in disgust at his cowardice, and Ingo turned to the other.

"Good work, Emmet." He said, glancing down at the Xtranceiver on his wrist. "We should be stopping at the next station in about two minutes, so let's get these criminals restrained." Emmet nodded and moved forward to apprehend the man, who was now lying ominously still on the train floor. After watching the two move around, swiftly and efficiently tying up the two goons with wire, White came forward at last.

"Um…" She began. "Do-"

"Ah yes, you'll need your belongings back." Emmet interrupted. He moved forward to pull her bag out of the criminals' case, and stepped over their tied up bodies to hand it to her. White reached out gratefully to take it out of his hands, ignoring the man as well, who remained silent.

"I can't thank you enough!" White blustered, but Emmet had already turned away from her and was leaning over something Ingo had in his hand, a frown creasing his face.

"What is it, brother?" He asked, and White tried to peer over his shoulder to see the item they were scrutinizing so carefully. So they're brothers, she thought. It made sense, considering they looked nearly identical. Her heart dropped as Ingo continued.

"One of them had a letter in his hand." He reported. "It's probably some sort of communication between him and whatever colleagues he works with. This could be evidence, Emmet!" He leaned back on his heels, satisfied with his findings.

"Very good." Emmet agreed. "We ought to analyze this as soon as possible."

"Ah… That's…" White started, but suddenly a shriek filled the air and the train lurched under her feet. White glanced outside the window to discover that the train was rapidly closing in on the next station, which happened to be the famous Gear Station, the control of all of the subway tracks. The train glided smoothly to a halt on the platform, where panicked passengers burst out of every door, screaming and calling out to their family and friends. White remained uncertainly on board, stalling for time to get her letter back. Ingo and Emmet stepped up behind her.

"Go to Officer Jenny, she will take care of you." Ingo urged, giving her a helpful shove on the back.

"We'll take care of this quickly so that your subway experience can be improved." Emmet added, and the two glanced at each other before marching out of the train themselves. White sighed deeply and followed after them, dodging panicked civilians as she made her way towards the small police force gathering by the entrance to the station.

After shouldering her way through waves upon waves of people, she caught a quick glimpse of two trailing black and white coats before they disappeared around a corner.

"I'm not letting them get away with that letter!" White seethed aloud, causing a few people to shoot her odd looks. She redoubled her efforts, pressing on until suddenly, she came face to face with a blue uniform. She glanced upwards to look into the stern face of the famous Officer Jenny, who frowned in disapproval.

"Where are you going?" She chastised. "We need to get this situation under control, so unfortunately, you aren't going anywhere."

"Well, uh…" White replied, thinking quickly, "I have to go meet... Emmet and Ingo? It's important." Forcing herself to sound more relaxed, she prayed that she had remembered their names correctly, and sighed in relief when Officer Jenny's face relaxed.

"Of course, why didn't you say so?" She exclaimed. "They went that way." The policewoman pointed her finger at the main staircase leading into the station.

"Thanks!" White exhaled, her lie secure. She pounded up the stairs, her legs moving as fast as she could make them, and her face burned as she thought of what the police would think of her letter. Bursting into the clear outside air, she realized that the sun had already begun to set in the sky, turning the clouds a fiery orange, and the air began to grow chilly and dry. White hugged her arms around her shoulders for warmth and set off at a forced march down the road, hoping to catch another sight of the odd duo. The neon lights of Nimbasa began to flicker to life as the night descended slowly upon the city, and White hoped to find shelter before it grew too dark to find her way around. In a stroke of luck, she heard the soft jingling of bells emanate from a nearby street, and as White turned to find the source, she noticed a heavy brown door creaking open, and then a hand covered by a white striped sleeve allowed the door to swing back shut. "Hah, they're not getting away that easily!" White cried triumphantly, darting forward towards the door. Glancing upward, she saw that the sign signaled the building as a bar, and she gulped before wrenching the door open herself. Instead of the blast of music and stench of alcohol hitting her, she encountered the rather pleasant atmosphere of a dimly lit, rather small restaurant furnished with black and red furniture. Allowing her eyes to readjust to the lighting, which was only assisted by small lamps hanging from the wall, she remained awkwardly in the doorway, hearing the door slam shut behind her with the jingling of bells. She ventured forward slightly, and almost immediately noticed the two figures sitting on stools at the bar, hunched over and talking quietly to one another. They simultaneously looked up in surprise at her approach, and White glared defiantly as she put her hands on her hips.

"You two better give me back my letter!" She yelled defiantly, pointing an accusatory finger at the startled men.

"Ah…" Emmet, the one in the white coat, spoke up first. "You were the one on the train with us, yes?"

"What can we do for you?" Ingo, the other, continued. "If there's a problem-"

"Well, actually…" White interrupted, and she felt sheepish now, having burst in after stalking two strangers and yelling at them. "Thanks for saving the passengers on the train, ok?" She stammered. "And for getting my bag back."

"Oh." Emmet looked rather taken aback. "Think nothing of it. We would risk our lives for the trains."

"Um, ok." White replied awkwardly. "Well, the point is, you guys took something important of mine, and I want it back." Ingo and Emmet glanced at each other momentarily in confusion.

"I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank." Ingo replied, a quizzical look on his face.

"Oh, you would know, since you were the one who stole it!" White shouted, then slapped a hand over her mouth when her voice reverberated off of the bar walls. "Sorry about that." She winced, continuing in a lower tone, "Remember, my letter? You took it and left before I could get a word in otherwise!" Understanding dawned on Ingo's face, and he reached into his pocket and withdrew the small white envelope.

"This is evidence, we must keep it so that we can analyze it." Ingo explained.

"That 'evidence' is my friend's letter!" White exclaimed, making a grab at it, but Ingo pulled it back, leaving her swiping at only air. "Please don't read it, it's embarrassing!" Even as she said the words, she began blushing.

"You know better than to tamper with crime evidence." Emmet chastised.

"But it's not crime evidence!" White implored the men to understand. "I swear, it's from my childhood friend! Besides, who do you think you are, anyway?" The two stared at White as if she had suddenly sprouted two extra heads.

"You don't know who we are?" Ingo asked enigmatically, and Emmet attempted to suppress a grin yet failed.

"No, but you do seem familiar somehow…" She replied, staring closer at the patterns on their coats. "Why would you save the train, have no problem getting past the police, and insist on following this case to its end?" Ingo gave her a sour look, and this time Emmet allowed a small laugh to escape.

"It's quite simple, really." Ingo and Emmet chorused. "We're the Nimbasa Subway bosses." Recognition dawned on White as memories of hearing of the two powerful trainers who ruled the subways came back to her.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "I know who you two are, and I know you're definitely not trainers to be trifled with…" Even after her praise, she still gritted her teeth in frustration. "Yet I'm not moving an inch until I get that letter back."

"No can do!" Emmet replied cheerfully, pointing at the open stool next to him. "You'd better sit down, 'cause you're obviously going to be here for a while." White sighed, and she meandered over and sat down hard in the chair, smacking her open palm against the smooth granite counter. Ingo let out a deep sigh as if he could foresee the enormous rant that White was preparing. A sudden question budded in White's mind, taking priority over her bargaining.

"Why are you guys on the surface, then?" She inquired. "From what I've seen, you guys practically live underground, being Subway Bosses and all."

"That certainly is a good question." Ingo said dryly, shooting a look at Emmet.

"We're here for a business deal, you see." Emmet explained, ignoring his brother. "Otherwise, we'd be too glued to our paperwork underground." White nodded, frowning slightly as she processed what he had said.

"Who would you need to do business deals in person with?" She pressed further. "Don't you have lackeys for that sort of thing?"

Ingo glanced around before lowering his voice and leaning in. "It's an important person. You probably know them, and we are personal friends with them as well."

"It's only a matter regarding the transportation of goods, so don't worry about it." Emmet added.

"Ooh, do I get to meet this individual?" White asked innocently. Perhaps they can put some sense into these guys to get them to give me my letter back, she thought dryly.

"Do you?" A familiar voice emanated from behind White, causing Ingo and Emmet to grin simultaneously. "I'm sure you can figure that one out by yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

White whirled around and came face to face with a familiar woman, who was leaning against the wall just next to the stools, dressed in a fashionable yellow dress and black tights. She hadn't even heard the door shut behind her.

"Elesa!" She cried, identifying none other than the Nimbasa Gym Leader, and Elesa stood up straight, smiling as she extended her hand out in front of her. White took her hand and shook it lightly, grinning in return as she remembered the fierce fight she had endured with this particular leader.

"Hello, White." The electric gym leader greeted her with a smooth, relaxed tone. "I must admit, I certainly wasn't expecting you here."

"We weren't either." Emmet piped up. "But it seems we have something she wants." Elesa turned to face him, a quizzical look in her eyes.

"And what might that be?" She asked dryly, raising an eyebrow. "Another misunderstanding?"

"This letter." Ingo interrupted Emmet before he could speak, waving the small piece of paper in front of him. "We found it in the hands of the criminals on the train, you see, so we were going to analyze it. But it seems this young lady demands that we return it."

"Darn straight!" White practically hissed at them. "I've told them what it is, but they won't listen to me!" She turned her pleading eyes towards Elesa, seeking assistance in the mature leader.

"Oh, give it here." Elesa said in exasperation, ripping the letter out of Ingo's hands despite his protests. She unfolded it and scanned through the writing, to White's dismay.

"Give it back!" She protested, grasping it with both hands, and Elesa didn't fight back as it was pulled from her grip, but a wide smile stretched across her face. "You saw it, didn't you?" White asked accusingly.

"My, if it isn't childish love!" She giggled. Turning to the two brothers, who sat in utter confusion, she elaborated, "It's nothing special, you worrywarts. Just a schoolgirl's romance, I'm telling you." White, mortified, hid her face in her hands as the two stared at her incredulously.

"It's not like that!" She insisted. "We're friends, is all!"

"Yes, I'm sure, the letter had NO signs of affection in it whatsoever." Elesa said in the same airy tone, when her gaze suddenly became downcast. "Now that this has been cleared up, I would like to explain my initial request to you in person." Ingo nodded and gestured to the empty chair next to him.

"Sit down, and we'll hear out any request." He offered, and she took the seat gratefully, sinking onto the stool.

"As you know, I have an important fashion show coming up, which means I have a vital shipment of my new outfit coming from another region." Elesa explained. "Now, I'm sure you two of all people know about the worrying number of crimes occurring on the rails lately." Emmet nodded grimly, but Ingo shook his head.

"If it's a matter of trust-" He began, and Elesa held up a hand to stop him.

"I trust you guys completely, which is why I'm here right now." She interjected. "I'd like you two to personally conduct the train with my shipment on it, if it's alright with you. It's already been shipped to Castelia, and with you two at the reins, I can be confident that it will arrive safely and on time."

"Your trust is well placed." Emmet assured her. "You can be certain that it will be here as soon as possible." He glanced down at his wrist, which White finally noticed had an Xtranciever clasped to it. "If we arrive there tomorrow via train, we can board the other train and be back in Nimbasa before dinner."

"Mind you, we'll have to find the exact times, but that won't be a big deal." Ingo added. White glanced sideways at Elesa and found her expression to still be troubled.

"I hate to make you two do all of the work for that long…" She said, frowning slightly.

"I can tag along, if you'd accept me!" White offered. After the twins had virtually saved her life back on the subway, it was the least she could do to assist them on their journey. Elesa seemed ecstatic at the offer.

"Three of you would be able to take the workload better, I'd think!" Elesa said, clapping her hands together happily. "And with the way I've seen you fight, White, anyone who would dare attack the train would be flattened in an instant between you lot."

"You're too kind." White said awkwardly, staring at her feet.

"Honestly, I am grateful." Elesa insisted. "How would you like to be in one of my fashion shows sometime? Maybe even this one."

"I mean, sure…" White said. A chance to be in one of the famous model's shows was slim to none, and she was astounded at the mere thought.

Turning to Emmet and Ingo, Elesa continued, "You two are alright with this arrangement, yes?" They nodded simultaneously.

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Emmet said, turning to his brother, who echoed his sentiments.

"Of course, we could use the extra hands, especially in case the train is overrun…" Emmet hardly finished before Ingo slapped him roughly on the back of his head, causing him to reel forward.

"Except for the fact that will never happen, not on my train." He interrupted, a harsh tone in his voice, quickly throwing an apologetic glance to Elesa.

"Great, then it's a date!" White said jokingly in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "Let me just register this in my Xtranciever…" Suddenly, she froze as she remembered something vital. "Oh no… I'm supposed to meet my friend tomorrow!"

"What time?" Ingo asked.

"Hmm… I'd say around noon." White replied, twirling her hair in frustration.

"I'd say that's about when we leave." Emmet informed her. "Perhaps he would be ok with tagging along?"

"Ah, that could work!" White exclaimed. "I'm sure he would agree to it, as long as it doesn't totally interrupt our plans."

"Plans?" Ingo questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, nothing." White replied hurriedly. "Point is, the date is still set for tomorrow at noon, right?" Emmet nodded, and White continued on before Ingo could say anything, "Where should we meet tomorrow? Gear Station?"

"Yes, that sounds appropriate." Ingo replied. "Should give you some time to acquaintance yourself with your boyfriend."

"Ok- Wait, what?!" White stuttered. Turning slowly and deliberately towards Ingo, she spoke as clearly as possible, "Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Merely a joke, White." Ingo sighed. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep? It will be a long day on the rails tomorrow."

"Yeah, good idea." White said. "It's not even that late, but I'm exhausted." Right after saying it, she yawned loudly.

"You must be tired." Elesa said. Way to state the obvious, White thought. "I can help you walk to wherever you're staying, if you need."

"That would be great! I don't exactly know my way around Nimbasa very well…" White admitted.

"Alright, let's get going!" She replied, and then she turned to the twins once more. "Goodbye, Ingo and Emmet. Thank you guys for everything, and I'll see you tomorrow before the train departs."

"See you." Ingo said shortly, and Emmet echoed his farewell.

"Till tomorrow, Elesa."

The two promptly turned back to face the counter, resuming their low conversation.

"Right then, let's get going before they start ordering drinks." Elesa laughed, and as she proceeded to the exit, White swallowed nervously.

"Surely they wouldn't get drunk before a big operation?" White whispered, slightly afraid of the answer.

Elesa laughed once more at her reaction, and once the door had safely closed behind them and they were out of earshot, she explained, "I don't think they've had a drink in a few months, if I recall." She frowned. "And considering they're not lying."

"Dear Arceus, we're dead." White rolled her eyes to the heavens. "The last things we need are a couple of tipsy conductors." Elesa nudged her with her elbow, smiling widely.

"Lighten up already!" She exclaimed. "It's a joke. The point is, they're the most reliable guys I know for getting a job done, so there's no reason to worry."

"If you insist." White sighed, watching her breath cloud in the chilly air. "Well, let's get moving before it gets so cold that we freeze solid." Picking up their paces, their soft footsteps were hardly audible even in the drowsy hustle and bustle of Nimbasa at dusk. Families were still returning from the amusement park, mothers calling out towards rowdy children and couples giving their goodbyes, but few cars were on the road, with work and dinner hours having been long past.

After a while, White broke the silence. "So, I couldn't help but wonder… Do you have any idea why the crime rate is rising on the subway and other trains? It's no wonder you would be worried about your clothes!"

Elesa shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "Beats me. They seem more like petty crimes, honestly, but lately they've been getting more dangerous. The one you were in has been one of the worse ones to occur. Ingo and Emmet are practically scrambling to find an answer to all of this."

"It just has no logic!" White exclaimed, a puzzled expression on her face. "Why trains, of all places? Is it because there is nowhere to run, or is there something in particular they want?"

Elesa scratched absently at the side of her face. "I wouldn't get too worked up about it." She said. "Whether we sit here trying to figure it out or not doesn't make a difference, as it will be taken care of, I'm sure."

"I guess…" White replied, feeling a bit deflated. "I'm just worried, is all."

"Don't be!" Elesa said cheerfully. As they continued to walk around the corner, White recognized the brightly lit neon sign hanging on the side of a building indicating her hotel.

"This is my hotel right here!" White said, pointing up at the sign. Elesa followed the direction she was pointing with her gaze and smiled.

"Couldn't have chosen a better place myself." She commented. "Well, White, I should probably be heading back now. After all, I've got a fashion show to plan!" She ended with a mischievous grin.

"Ok!" White replied. "Thanks a ton for walking me back, Elesa, and good luck with the show!" Elesa smiled and waved as she turned back around the corner and became engulfed in shadow. White turned back around and rested her hand against the cold door handle of the hotel. _Am I doing the right thing, getting involved in this?_ She thought. Then, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts, she pushed her way through the glass doors.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the cacophony of Pidove chirps emanating from outside her window, White only squeezed her eyes tighter and curled up into a ball underneath her sheets with a groan. Suddenly, her eyes jerked open.

"The station!" She exclaimed, sitting up and scrabbling for her Xtransceiver which rested on the bedside table. Clasping it to her wrist, she quickly opened her inbox to look for missed messages.

_1 missed message_, it read. White quickly scanned her eyes over the small print.

_Missed Message from Black, 10:13 a.m: The plane should arrive soon, I'll be around the amusement park. Meet you there!_

White quickly glanced at the clock, sighing in exasperation when she realized it was already 11. Diving into her drawer, she pulled out her usual outfit, jean shorts with a black jacket over a white shirt, and proceeded to yank it on. Once she had finished changing, she gathered her unruly brown hair into the usual high ponytail and put her favorite hat over it. It was all she could really do in the hour she had to get over to the station. Before she stepped out of the room, however, she quickly typed a reply to Black's message.

_There's been a slight change of plans. Try to meet me at the Gear Station before 12:00._

Hoping he would be ok with the sudden change in arrangements, she quickly exited her hotel room, still in the process of tugging on her shoes. Suddenly, her Xtransceiver began chirping loudly, the sudden ring nearly making White fall over. Straightening her arm parallel to her face, she watched as the notification for an incoming call flashed on the screen. Quickly pressing the receive button, she began, "Hello?"

"Ah, White!" A crackly voice came over the speaker, and White watched as an image popped onto the screen. It was Emmet, with Ingo crowding next to him for a spot on the screen. "A good thing Elesa had your number." His voice was hardly audible over what sounded like a large crowd and the distinct shrieking of the metro in the distance.

Ingo slightly shoved his brother aside with the intent of hogging up more of the screen. "The station is rather crowded today, so we're going to meet up by the information center, if you don't mind." He pitched in, raising his voice in order for her to hear him.

"Not at all." White replied. "See you there!" As she spoke, she was hustling down the hall toward the elevators. Just as she was going to hang up, Emmet's voice broke through once more.

"There are a few people you will meet there, as well." He said as White pressed the lobby button. "Don't worry about them, they're just train workers. A special crew assigned to us, of course. They're just there to make sure things run smoothly, as they do on all trains, so don't worry about them."

"Uh, ok." White replied. Who would be the train crew was hardly a worrisome matter to her, leaving her to wonder why they brought it up in the first place. She hardly gave it a second thought as she burst out the elevator doors and into the lobby. "Well, I'll be on my way now," she continued, "So I'll see you guys soon. Thanks!" With that, she hit the hang-up button. The lobby receptionist shot her a strange look as he watched her pick up her pace with great enthusiasm, practically exploding through the front doors and dashing out into the busy street. While moving as quickly as she could, she also mentally retraced the path that she and Elesa had taken the previous night. Although it had been dusk, the lights of the city had been more than enough for her to identify her surroundings. Turning around the corner, the Nimbasa amusement park suddenly loomed in front of her. Music and laugher could be heard just barely over the bustle of the city, and the thunderous roar of roller coasters echoed into the sky. White slightly slowed her pace as she reached a tourist-heavy sidewalk. The massive figure of the ferris wheel brought back memories to her mind. It felt like just yesterday that she had gone on the ride with several of her friends. The ride with N, however, while she was trying to chase Team Plasma, was something she tried to block out of her mind. She hoped that Black had gotten over his mysterious fear of the ride, though, so they would be able to ride it once more. She recalled him mentioning something about a person on the ride, but otherwise, she was mystified by his sudden phobia. The ringing of her Xtransceiver once again jerked her out of her daydreaming, and she looked down at the new message, weaving in and out of people as she did so.

_Message from Black, 11:45 a.m: Gotcha. I'll see you there, then!_

White sighed, relieved that he accepted the sudden change of plans. Finally breaking free of the endless tide of people, she launched down a quieter road, relieved to see Gear Station's roof looming in the distance. After lightly jogging for a few minutes, she glanced back at her watch, at rest now that the station was much closer. However, her heart leapt as she read 11:52 on the XTransceiver's screen. After more frantic speed walking, she finally stopped in front of the steps to Gear Station, her breath slightly labored. Meandering inside, she was met by a large volume of people bustling around her, chatting loudly to one another or into their cellphones. White had to shove her way past the torrent of people to simply make her way into the circular station. Looking around, she spotted a sign identifying the Information Booth in the corner near the entrance.

"Thank Arceus." She muttered, eyeing the onslaught of people still milling around. "Last thing I need to do is get held up by slow walkers." It relieved her that nobody seemed fazed by the incident from just yesterday, but it was almost ridiculous how many people were riding the subway today. She shrugged the stray thought off, glancing around the station for the information sign. Soon, her eyes rested on the words "Information Center", and she fought her way through the throng of people, finally spotting the two subway masters. Elesa was beside them, her back turned toward her so she was unable to see her expression, but she appeared to be in an animated conversation, gesticulating wildly at the bewildered twins. Ingo seemed visibly relieved when he spotted White emerging from the sea of people. His voice lost among the many voices in the station, White only followed his hands, which signaled her to step inside a small door next to the booth. Elesa and Emmet quickly filed in themselves, and White followed close behind. Finally, the door slammed shut, sealing them in a muted silence, and White realized that they were crammed into a small room with completely bare walls, nothing furnishing it.

"I apologize for the cramped space, but it's the only place we'll be able to hear ourselves think." Emmet said, his shoulder pressed uncomfortably against the wall. "White, I thought we would be able to introduce our-" He was suddenly cut off by the harsh ring of White's X-Transceiver in the muted room.

"Sorry…" White apologized, aware of everyone in the room staring at her. She quickly glanced down to see another message from Black.

_I'm at the station. Where are you?_

"I've got to get my friend, Black, he's waiting around here." White announced. "Sorry, you were in the middle of saying something…" Emmet shook his head.

"Go find your friend." He said. "He may like to hear what we are saying as well." White nodded, relieved that she wasn't being rude, and quickly typed a reply into her X-Transceiever.

_Come to the information booth._

After it beeped in confirmation of sending the text, she shouldered her way out the narrow door once more, into the loud, crowded station. Taking a single visual sweep of the crowd, she resisted the urge to fish her way through the mass and find her friend. But as she stood there, tense as a wire, a sudden tap to her shoulder made her almost jump through the roof. She whipped around to see the face of her friend staring back with a startled expression.

"Tense much?" Black said. White pretended to scowl at him before hugging him.

"I haven't seen you in ages and that's the first thing you have to say?" She said once she had pulled herself away. Black shrugged.

"We've sent letters and texts, it's not that big of a deal." He laughed. "Sorry for being late…"

"Trust me, I'm used to it." White assured him.

From back in the room, Ingo and Emmet squeezed their head out of the doorway to take a look at the two.

"I suppose this was the friend she spoke about." Emmet commented.

"Hah, look at him." Ingo snorted. "What was his name, Black? What a fool. I bet he hasn't got the guts to confess anything, and Arceus knows how long they've known each other."

"Move aside, you two." Elesa snapped, pushing their heads down to get a better look. "They're adorable! Look at the way she's looking at him!" Ingo shoved her back off.

"We're not here to play matchmaker!" Ingo exclaimed. "But… I don't think they've started dating yet, do you?"

"Definitely not." Emmet agreed.

"Hmph, what a hypocrite." Elesa scowled, withdrawing back into the room.

White, seeing a flash of movement from back in the doorway, saw the two subway bosses staring at them with their faces suspiciously deadpan.

"Oh, uh…" She said. "I think you ought to meet the people I'm working with at the moment."

"Working with?" Black asked, puzzled. "Is this the change of plans you were talking about?"

"It is." She confirmed. "I can explain more when we get inside that room." She pointed towards the doorway, which had already been emptied.

"Alright, let's go!" He replied, headed towards the room. White was glad that he didn't ask any questions, as she was a little worried whether he would be angry at her for changing plans or not.

Once they stepped foot into the room, Emmet immediately piped up, "So, are you two ready for the journey ahead?" White nodded confidently in response, while Black adopted a bewildered expression.

"Journey?" He inquired, glancing sideways at White in confusion.

"Ah, you don't know, do you?" Ingo said, not sounding surprised. He gave White a pained look that said, _Why the heck didn't you explain to this idiot?_

"He just got here from a long trip, so it's no surprise he doesn't know." Emmet spoke up, glaring at his brother.

White sighed and turned to Black. "I should have told you sooner…" She told him apologetically. "I decided to assist these two on their trip to deliver some cargo for the gym leader Elesa." Black's eyes lit up in recognition of the name.

"Oh, that sounds cool." His voice was slightly flat. Then, he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I mean, sounds great! Good luck." White vaguely made out both Elesa and Emmet trying to hold back laughter, and White suddenly realized why he sounded disinterested.

"You know you can come too, right?" White sighed, and Black looked up sharply. Hastily, she added, "I wasn't going to waste our first meeting in forever for some random train job!" Black glanced uncertainly at the subway bosses.

"Will they let me, though?" He asked, pointing a thumb at the two.

"Why would we ask you to come here if you weren't coming along?" Ingo retorted, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Good point." Black replied, holding his hands defensively in the air. "I'll come along then, if it's alright."

"Good!" White said. "We could always use an extra battler, I suppose."

"But aren't Ingo and Emmet already good fighters?" Black asked.

"Oh, you know them?"

"Of course, they're the famous subway bosses!" Black exclaimed. "Who doesn't?" White suddenly felt suitably embarrassed, remembering how she had no clue who the two were when she first saw them.

"Well, whatever." She turned back to face the group of people, realizing that everyone had been standing patiently while they chatted. "Point is, you should probably hear what these two have to say."

Once she had finished speaking, Ingo cleared his throat. "Alright everyone, we should expect to leave in no less than ten minutes."

Black seemed less than pleased at the sudden departure time, but he bit his tongue.

"We're heading off to Platform 4, bound to Castelia, so make sure to stick closely with us," Emmet added, "as we don't want you getting lost in the crowd today."

"Right, let's do this." Elesa said, and waited for the two subway bosses to exit the room before leaving herself. White and Black hurried to stay right behind them, but as they quickly realized, it was nearly impossible to miss the twins in their massive, monochrome coats as they waded through the crowd. _Perhaps that's why they're like that_, White thought as she shouldered her way past more than a few disgruntled passing people. But it wasn't just that, they were impossibly tall as well.

The walk didn't take too long, and the foot traffic diminished as they went along, as the battle subway participants began to get weeded out from the regular travelers. One circle around the station and down a flight of stairs and there they were, standing in front of a pillar with a large black "4" painted onto its surface. From the corner of her eye, White saw a group of about nine people seem to materialize from behind them, all dressed in crisp green suits. It was a rather odd, ragtag group of different people, but all had the same attentive stature and expression, and each had their own badge signifying their job as crew members. One, a tall blonde man with a stern expression and clear blue eyes stepped forward, a lantern in hand.

"Ingo, Emmet." He saluted to the two with his free hand. "We have finished inspection of the tracks, and there are no signs of trouble, so we are clear to go."

"Thank you, Austin." Ingo replied. "I have faith in the crew's perceptive abilities." Then, seeing the confusion evident on White's face, he continued, "Allow me to introduce my loyal crew." She could have sworn she saw a few of their faces blush at the comment. "They assist Emmet and me with our jobs. We can't do it alone, after all."

"Yes, you should see the paperwork…" Emmet sighed. "Luckily we have someone as handy as Turner…" Ingo coughed loudly several times to interrupt his speech.

"Anyway, I'm sure they can introduce themselves as well." Ingo continued quickly, stepping aside to let the remaining crew members step forward. Both White and Black were flustered initially at the sudden crowd of new faces, but everyone seemed to be nice. The blonde man, Austin, who was the first to speak to Ingo, introduced himself first.

"I am Austin, as you know." He told them. "I like to think that I keep these troublemakers in line. You can always come to me for… _Responsible_ directions." White could already tell that he was the strictest person here. _It doesn't make him a bad person, being so strict, but he could ease up a little,_ White contemplated. Austin continued without waiting for a response, practically dragging two younger looking members up, "You'll get to know these two pretty soon, as they're the worst behaved of the lot." One of them, a short, brown-haired man, extended his hand and fixed a smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the introduction." He said sarcastically as he shook both White and Black's hands. "I'm Turner, and you'll find me the most sociable member of this lot."

"Yeah, when you're spying on all the women within a fifty mile radius." The other, a rather scrawny man with orange hair snickered beside him. Turner whipped around to glare at him, and his smile died as he stared at his shoes.

"This is Stanley." Turner drawled. "He's pretty bad with social interaction, and he wouldn't know up from down on a map, but I'm teaching him a few pointers." White had a feeling that she would be seeing that flashy smile way too many times in the future.

"Nice to meet you, Stanley and Turner." White said awkwardly, shaking their hands, and Black echoed her greeting.

The two had hardly withdrawn when a boy who hardly looked a day over eighteen sprang up in front of them. "Hey, the name's Janus!" He cried. He had disheveled brown hair and a young, excited face, almost to the point of naivety, but he still appeared honest and hardworking.

"Err, hi…" White stuttered, startled by the sudden introduction. Janus grabbed her arm and wrenched it up and down in the most excited handshake she had ever felt, and she laughed as she saw Black's face when he did the same to him.

"Well, that's the most introduction you'll need to hear from him." Austin said sarcastically. "He's the newest crew member, so forgive his eagerness."

"Aww, don't be so harsh, Austin!" Janus grinned widely. "We're going to have a ton of fun on this trip, aren't we?"

_Oh boy, Ingo and Emmet have hired a bunch of nutjobs_, White thought. However, the onslaught of new people was just beginning.

"The name's Simon." A tall, burly looking man with black hair and slim glasses shook their hands. White knew at once that the man had a ton of experience. Not attempting to push authority, but dutifully carrying out his actions was the vibe White was getting from him. No sooner had he greeted them did he step back and fold his arms behind his back, patiently waiting for the introductions to end.

"Hello." A soft, nice voice caused her to look back up and see a tall woman smiling kindly at her. Her eyes were a clear blue, and her smooth blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "My name is Holly. Some tell me I am rather maternal, but I am just as capable as anyone else here. Come to me for any of your problems." White took her hand and smiled shyly back. She almost felt lost in her kindness when a sudden gloomy presence filled her vision. Glancing away from Holly, she saw a rather short figure glaring at her with dark eyes hidden under black, curled bangs.

"Err, hello sir…" White began.

"I'm a woman, dammit!" The glowering figure snapped, crossing her arms. "I may as well just leave now, if I'm this unwelcome." White was rather taken aback at the sudden shift in mood, and she remained silent as words failed to come to her.

Holly cleared her throat and stepped up next to the woman. "This is Morgan." She offered apologetically. "You just have to warm up to her, I promise, and she is very nice inside." Morgan harrumphed, but didn't say another word, and White could have sworn her expression softened a little at Holly's words. White glanced at Black in half confusion and half fear and found that his expression was nearly the same. Suddenly, a commotion occurred from the back of the group, and White soon realized that Austin was dragging forward yet another individual. With olive brown, ragged hair and a lazy expression, the man smiled sheepishly as Austin herded him in front of them. His uniform was not nearly as crisp as the others, and White even saw a wrench shoved in his back pocket.

"Hello, who might you be?" He drawled, and Austin sighed loudly.

"Robert, these are our guests." The strict man informed him, and without pause, he turned to White and continued, "This is our rather sleepy crew member, Robert. He's a heck of a mechanic, if he'd ever stay awake to do anything."

Robert ignored him and gave them a grin and extended a hand. When White took it, she identified the strong smell of oil coming from his sleeves.

He leaned a bit closer and whispered, "If you ever need help giving Austin the slip, come to me. I've almost got it down."

"Um… Ok then." White replied awkwardly. "I'll think about it."

"Ah, it's so cute!" The sound of Black's voice made White glance over, and she saw him crouched over a small Growlithe, stroking its head. A tall man with light brown hair and a distant expression stood over him, and White realized with a little relief that this was the last crew member she would meet.

The man looked up as White crouched down herself to pet the Growlithe. "Is it yours?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Growlithe's a great buddy of mine, as are all of my Pokemon." He said. "My name is Matthew, by the way."

"And you'll likely catch him daydreaming on the job." Robert added in with a grin. "Although, I can't really argue against that, considering my own state at work." He slung his shoulder around Matthew. "We're great friends, as you can see." Matthew continued to stare blankly at his Growlithe, and White had to wonder about that statement, until she saw Austin snort and turn away.

"Those two…" He muttered loud enough for her to hear.

"Right, are the intros done yet?" Elesa interrupted loudly, faking a yawn. "We do have a schedule, you know."

Emmet put up his hands defensively. "Just thought people should get to know each other before the trip."

"Elesa is right nonetheless, we ought to be leaving soon." Ingo declared. "I also have an important announcement. Half of the crew will be journeying with us, while the other half will stay behind to help Elesa."

"You'll be helping me do sweeps of the tracks and station, to see if we catch anything out of the ordinary." Elesa clarified. "I've asked Ingo and Emmet whether I can borrow a few of you and he agreed, so I'm delighted to work with you." The entire group of crew members nodded as they processed the sudden information.

"Now, Austin, Holly, Morgan, and Robert will be coming with us." Emmet continued. "The rest of you will assist Elesa in her task. I hope everyone is comfortable with these arrangements." When nobody objected, he finished, "Crew, get to your assignments. White, Black, you two should be ready to board as well." White and Black both nodded in response, and then turned to one another as the group began to disperse. Elesa waved goodbye at White, and she returned the gesture as Elesa and her selected group of crew members followed her back up the stairs.

"Well that was interesting." White whispered. "I don't think I've seen an odder group of people in my life."

"Man, I'd have to agree." Black sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I am so done with meeting new people for the rest of my life."

"Ugh, me too." White groaned. "Anyway, have you got your Pokemon team all ready to go?"

"Yep, and you?"

"I'm good to go."

"Good, then we can defend this train from whatever happens. I don't want to have to experience another train heist after yesterday."

Black looked back up at her sharply from where he was counting his Pokeballs. "What do you mean by that?" White suddenly realized that she hadn't informed her friend about anything she had done the past day, and she realized why the train trip seemed so spontaneous.

"Oh jeez, I never told you, did I?" She exclaimed. Black shook his head promptly, so she launched into the story of the robbers and the troublesome situation she had gotten into. Black visibly winced when she got to the part of the robber pulling out a gun, and looked impressed as she explained the heroics of Ingo and Emmet.

"So we really do owe them a favor, huh?" Black said when she finished, sounding impressed.

"Yes, and I should have told you sooner, but we were rather strapped for time." White apologized.

"There's no need for apologies, I came along anyway." Black assured her. "Besides, the trip will be fun! We haven't gotten into trouble since the whole Plasma business, and even that feels like forever ago, even if it was less than a year-"

"ALL ABOARD, YOU TWO!" White and Black nearly jumped out of their skin, and their hands flew to their ears to block out the terribly loud noise as Ingo appeared right behind them, yelling harshly into a megaphone. Smirking, Ingo continued without his megaphone, "You guys can catch up when we board the train, but for now, you're the last ones on." He pointed to the train and White felt a flush of embarrassment as she realized not a soul was left on the platform but them. Quickly, the two hustled to the sliding doors as Ingo half herded them along with his megaphone at the ready. At last, the train doors slid closed smoothly, and White felt the distinct rumbling under her feet as the train jerked to a start. She took a last look at the dimly lit platform as it gradually slid past, soon replaced by the repetitive tunnel that she knew she would be seeing for quite a while.

As the train screeched past, marking the beginning of its long journey to Castelia, a shadow warily slipped out of the darkness from behind the staircase, certain that there were no longer any bystanders to witness them. They fished a cellphone out of their pocket, typing in the number they knew all too well, and waited.

"Is it done?" The voice inquired.

"Yes." The shadowy figure whispered softly, still on edge from the potential danger of a witness. "The train has now left the station with the subway masters on board."

There was a small length of silence on the receiving side of the phone, before they finally made out the word, "Good", before the phone line cut out, and the shadow receded back into its cocoon of darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

White leaned back comfortably into the snug train chair, placing her hand under her chin as she traced her gaze across the floor to the window. As the train smoothly glided on the path from Nimbasa to Castelia, desert sands whipped against the windows viciously; yet, when it died down, the dazzling orange landscape of the desert shone through, causing White to sigh loudly in wonder.

"Aren't you glad we're in here, and not out there?" Black's voice caught White's attention. He walked down the length of the train car, his face obscured by the mound of snacks he was attempting to balance in his arms. When he reached White, he dumped the bags all over her lap and the surrounding chairs.

"Jeez, where did you get all these?" White exclaimed, fishing through the pile for some chips.

"Holly showed me where the snack cart was!" Black explained. "She let me have them for free because we're 'currently part of the crew', or something."

"Man, I need to thank her later." White said through a mouthful of chips.

"So, you never told me about how your fight with the champion Alder went!" Black pressed. "I hear it was intense."

White gazed thoughtfully back out the window, setting down her snack bag. "Man, it was amazing. It was completely heart-pounding!"

"How so?" Black asked.

"Well, I was facing him pretty evenly until his Volcarona took out my Samurott, which I was not expecting at all." White recalled. "So I was down to only 2 Pokemon while he still had 3. I thought I was done for sure until my Pokemon landed a critical hit, and the flow of the battle turned back in my favor!"

"Wow, but you still beat him!" Black said in awe. "That just goes to show how great you've become!"

"Hah, we both got a lot better, I think." White replied. "Don't forget who had to deal with that N guy." A look of distaste crossed Black's face.

"We are now arriving in Castelia City." Emmet's calm voice emanated from the speakers, interrupting their conversation. "Crew members, please remain on standby."

"Well, that's us!" Black said, jumping to his feet as the train began to gradually slow. White collected her bag and stood up as well, adjusting her balance with the moving train. The windows went black as the train entered Castelia underground, and the brakes let off a slight whine as they finally came to a full stop. A light ding went off in the train car, and the doors slid open to the dimly lit Castelia Station. Black and White both stepped out onto the platform, glancing around in surprise as they found there were no passengers blocking their way.

"We must be in a separate station for special deliveries or something…" White reasoned, and Black nodded in response.

"Oh, look over there!" Black pointed to where he could barely see the shapes of the two subway masters in the gloomy light. "I think I see a bunch of boxes over there with them."

"Let's go help!" White said, running forward to aid the two. Black followed quickly, and the two found themselves in front of a large crate filled with boxes.

"We can't fit the crate in, so we'll take the boxes into the train individually." Emmet was instructing into his megaphone. "Everybody, please grab a couple of boxes and bring them into the cargo car, and keep it organized and secured down." The four members of the crew that had joined them quickly got to work, grunting and straining against the weight of the boxes as they lifted them up and begun to file towards the train.

"Heh, I'm glad we don't have to do that." Black muttered, jutting his thumb toward the struggling crew members.

"I don't recall saying you two could relax." Ingo's voice split their ears as it carried out of his megaphone straight into the back of their heads. The two jumped guiltily, turning around to see Ingo staring at them in disapproval.

"Uhh, of course!" Black said quickly, running at the boxes.

"Sorry." White winced, and ran after him. The two worked together, lifting three boxes between them for efficiency. Even Ingo and Emmet began helping, setting down their megaphones and grabbing two boxes each. After a few minutes of back and forth running, White found herself with the last box of the pile, and jogged to the cargo car. She slid the final box in snugly into the huge stack of boxes already contained within, and patted the pile for good measure before letting out a sigh.

"Alright, good work everyone!" Emmet called out. "Please board the train, and we can head back to Nimbasa and finish this job up." The train crew all saluted, and quickly boarded the still-open train doors.

Black walked up to White, still panting from the exertion. "Guess that's all there is, then." He commented as the two boarded a car themselves.

"That wasn't so bad." White reasoned. "I still feel like I haven't repaid them, though."

"Na, I'm sure they would expect more from you." Black reassured her.

"Hmm, maybe…" White trailed a finger down the window thoughtfully. As the train doors slid closed, White glanced up, seeing sudden movement in the darkness of the station. She peered closer, attempting to identify the elusive shape. Then, suddenly, as the train flashed its lights and the station momentarily filled with light, White saw him. A man in an oversized coat hugged the wall, a cellphone up to his ear. He had been staring intently at the train as far as White could see. Disturbed by the suspicious sudden appearance, White instinctively tightened her belt full of Pokeballs around her. It was most likely that she wouldn't have to fight her way out of anything, but it didn't hurt to be careful. Finally, the train pulled once more out of the station with a slight groan, and the train car became washed in the bright light of the aboveground.

"It seems we are right on schedule." Ingo said shortly, with a tone of approval.

"Indeed." Emmet agreed. "Why, we should celebrate when we get back!"

Ingo looked at him sternly, folding his arms across his back. "You should know of all people how huge the mountain of paperwork at our office has gotten." He reminded his brother. "The last thing we need is to let it get even bigger."

Emmet shrugged in defeat. "Whatever you say." He sighed dramatically. Arms outstretched, he feigned an exhausted yawn and placed the back of his hand on his forehead.

"Oh brother." Ingo rolled his eyes, but held back laughter at his dramatic display. "Do you mind taking over here while I go check up on the rest of the carts?"

"Sure, and get some snacks while you're at it." Emmet drawled in reply, now adapting a lazy posture. Ingo sighed, but walked forward and entered the neighboring car. He quickly crossed the aisle and reached the next car, in which White and Black resided. They looked up in surprise at his sudden entrance.

"I trust everything is going well?" Ingo asked the two. He raised an eyebrow when White adopted a concerned expression. He gestured for her to communicate.

"Well, I saw a suspicious man in the station." White confessed. "He was on his phone, and staring creepily at the train."

"Ah, well, that's not too unusual in a large city like Castelia." Ingo assured her. "You'll find-"

Suddenly, a static noise burst from the intercom, interrupting Ingo, and Emmet's voice quickly came on. "We have a report of an unauthorized train on the rail next to us. No trains are scheduled for this time. I repeat, we have an unauthorized train. Crew members, please remain on standby."

Ingo stiffened, then crossed over to the windows in rapid steps. He pressed his face to the window, attempting to angle himself to spot the train. Sure enough, an unknown train was rapidly gaining on them on the parallel track. The sun gleamed dizzyingly off of the train's windshield, completely shielding the conductor from sight.

White and Black quickly ran up to Ingo, concern written on their faces. "What's happening?" White questioned, placing a hand on her Pokeballs.

"An unauthorized train…" Ingo echoed. "This train doesn't appear to be affiliated with any of our trains at Gear Station." He kept his voice smooth and controlled, and turned toward the two with a stern glance. "I need to get back up front, so you two stay put here and take care of yourselves." With that order, Ingo marched down the aisle and disappeared back into the front cars. White and Black were left in stunned silence.

"You know, I've got your back if things go to hell here." Black told White, glancing over at her face.

"Things won't go to hell with the champion here." White shook her head with determination. Black smiled, acknowledging how confident White had gotten since they had last met. As they spoke, the mysterious black train pulled itself up to be parallel with their train, and White found herself staring back at her reflection in the tinted windows. A flurry of activity directed her gaze upward, where she spotted several figures crouched low on the top of the black train.

"What the…" White muttered, grabbing her Pokeballs off of her belt as she saw the figures hoist grappling hooks above their heads.


	5. Chapter 5

The two trains raced furiously against each other parallel on the tracks, and for the first time White could see the enemies in hot pursuit, perched on top of the opposing train like a flock of Murkrow. As she watched, a hatch on the side of the cart adjacent to hers swung open smoothly despite the high velocity of the train, sunlight glinting off of the steel panel. A tall woman, not too much older than White herself, materialized in the opening, her brunette hair whipping to the side from the wind. Her piercing violet eyes immediately caught White's attention as she narrowed them to shield from the blast of air. _Was she the one behind this entire train operation? _White pondered, continuing to stare at the woman. She was thrown out of her stupor as the woman's eyes flitted toward her, and a smirk lit her features as White recoiled visibly in surprise. The woman took a half step back, the smirk remaining on her face, and gestured to someone not visible to White from further back in the train cart. She then walked authoritatively out of sight herself, leaving White with many questions about the mysterious woman swirling around in her head.

"What on earth was that all about?" Black questioned, catching the chaotic look on White's face. "Have you ever seen that woman before?"

White turned slowly, creasing her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm just as lost as you." She confessed. "I've never seen that lady in my life, but she looks…important."

"Something is definitely suspicious about her." Black agreed.

As he spoke, bright sparks flew from the opened hatch, crackling loudly in the narrow gap between the trains. White and Black pulled into defensive stances as several dozen Magnemites poured out of the opening, sending out electricity from their sides and lighting up the area. They filed one by one, their round metal bodies filling the gap between the trains, and lined up, evenly spaced between windows.

"What on earth…" White managed, before the train cart suddenly lurched violently beneath her feet. Both her and Black grabbed onto the nearest seats, attempting to stabilize themselves as the cart continued to buck wildly. It was then that she understood what the Magnemite were doing. The Pokemon had lined up and placed their magnets on each train, successfully welding the two metal trains with one another. The train lurched violently due to the two trains suddenly and reluctantly locking speeds with one another, and White realized with discomfort that their train had begun to slow down as it got reined in by the symmetrical train. Her stomach continued to plunge as she watched the figures that had crouched on the roof of the train begin to move, throwing their grappling hooks across to secure their foothold and wait for the trains to slow down.

A loud commotion along with stomping feet suddenly emanated from the cart ahead of them, and White and Black's heads snapped toward the door as Emmet burst through, accompanied closely by Austin, who held his arms sharply behind him.

"Are you two ok?" Emmet asked urgently, relaxing when he saw the two completely unscathed but slightly panicked.

"We came to get a better understanding of the situation." Austin explained. "There's only so much you can see from the front cart." He grimaced as he glanced out of the windows at the Magnemite.

"Well, we did see something" White offered. "Something probably important."

"A young woman appeared in front of the hatch." Black followed up. "We think she's leading the operation, since she appeared to be giving orders."

"A young woman, you say?" Emmet frowned, a hand placed on his chin thoughtfully.

"She had brown hair, and… These bright violet eyes." White recalled. Emmet continued to stare at her thoughtfully, before Austin chimed in.

"We should probably continue on and check the next carts, as planned." He suggested. Emmet nodded several times in response, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hold this cart and the one ahead of you, will you?" Emmet instructed them. "We'll be holding the cart with Elesa's cargo, so I'm afraid we can't help you if things go south. If you're truly outmatched, then try and come to us." White and Black both nodded in agreement, and then nodded at one another in reassurance.

"I think we'll be fine." Black grinned at White, pulling out a Pokeball from his bag. White did the same, grabbing the Pokeball containing her trusted starter, Samurott.

"We'll leave you to it then." Emmet responded, and he and Austin quickly ran toward the back of the cart, disappearing through the doorway. White stared at the emptied doorway, but turned around in surprise as she heard laughter come from behind her. Black was shaking his head, his mouth upturned in a rueful smile.

"What could possibly be so funny?" White asked hotly.

"Man, I thought this was going to be a boring old, routine delivery." He explained. "Didn't think we'd be pulling up parallel to a train full of thugs!"

White shook her head in amazement, grinning. "It is so like you to not take these things seriously, isn't it?"

Black allowed another short laugh, scratching the back of his head as a sign of defeat to the accusation. "Well, I'll go cover the next cart, and you can stay here." He offered.

"Sounds good." White gave him a thumbs up. "Oh, and be careful, too."

Black lifted the Pokeball he had been holding. "There's nothing to worry about with my trusty Emboar by my side!" He declared before sprinting toward the cart ahead. As he left, White redirected her gaze toward the parallel train, staring quizzically at the still opened hatch. Before she had too much time to get comfortable, the train gave one last shudder, and she glanced up in surprise as she saw the previously inert figures perched on the roof of the other train begin to leap over to their train.

Ingo's voice crackled to life over the speakers. "Hostiles are boarding the train. Everyone, prepare for combat." His voice remained eerily calm despite the intense atmosphere. As soon as he spoke, two loud thuds reverberated off of the roof right above White's head. _They've boarded, _she thought grimly. However, as she glanced up, she couldn't see any definite entry point they could use to break in. Nonetheless, she braced herself into a battle stance and positioned her Pokeball at chest height. With a burst of red light, Samurott appeared in front of her, positioned in a stoic stance, and it let out a high pitched battle cry. _We'll beat all those who dare challenge us! _Its eyes seemed to speak.

Suddenly, the thugs' bodies swung downward off of the roof as they careened straight into the glass, bursting into the train cart in a hailstorm of shimmering glass.

"Samurott, Hydro Pump!" White yelled without waiting for a chance for them to react, ignoring the flying glass as it flew past her face, scraping her arms and cheeks. With a screech, Samurott reared backwards, and a pillar of glistening water burst from its opened maw. All of the weight and pressure of the column of water struck one thug straight in the center of his chest before he could send out a Pokemon, and his unconscious body sailed into the far end of the cart with a sickening crash. White cursed inwardly. _I was aiming at both of them, but one will have to do._ The second intruder, taking one glance at his inert teammate, rapidly pulled out a Pokeball of his own, throwing it in front of him. The customary burst of red light diminished to reveal a fearsome Unfezant, screaming an angry cry. White had to take a moment to hide her smug grin at the thug's look of confidence; she had her own surprise, which was the fact that her Samurott knew Ice Beam. The Unfezant would be hopelessly defeated by type advantages, she knew.

"Unfezant, Air Slash!" The man commanded in a low voice. The large bird tossed its willowy pink feathers to the side and pumped its wings vigorously to rise in the air of the narrow train cart. The cart filled with the sound of beating wings as Unfezant sent a series of howling wind arcs at White with three huge flaps. White, having assumed the Pokemon would aim at Samurott, remained transfixed to her spot in complete surprise. She could only watch in horror with widened eyes as the wind slashes flew at her with blinding speed.

Samurott, seeing its master in danger, kicked out with its hind legs as hard as it could, covering the distance between itself and White within the blink of an eye. The wind attack slammed straight into Samurott's shell guards, which it had thrown up at the last second in order to defend itself. A huge smile broke out on White's face as she threw her arms around Samurott's neck, but she quickly regained her posture, shouting out an attack before the Unfezant could reach the ground once more.

"Samurott, Ice Beam!" The temperature of the cart dropped instantly as Samurott opened its mouth once more, taking a massive inhale as ice gathered between its razor sharp teeth. Then, in a flash of white, a thin column of ice shot out of its mouth, ice spraying to either sides as it covered the distance rapidly to the unsuspecting Unfezant.

The thug cursed loudly. "Unfezant, dod-" His cry was too late, as the beam of ice struck Unfezant, and the helpless bird writhed in agony as it was frozen solid. Samurott savagely exerted more power into the beam, causing Unfezant to be frozen entirely in a block of ice. Quickly snapping its jaw shut, Samurott cut off the Ice Beam, leaving the Unfezant suspended frozen in the air. White laughed as she realized what would happen next.

The thug could hardly look up in time before the frozen bird Pokemon went sailing straight onto his head, sending them both crashing to the ground in an unconscious heap. The ice surrounding the Pokemon shattered as it struck the ground, but neither the Pokemon nor the trainer stood back up.

"Yes, we did it!" White yelled in victory, pumping her fist in the air. She went to congratulate Samurott when a sudden explosion from the cart ahead caused her to glance up quickly. The cart itself was rocking violently, and smoke was pouring out of the shattered windows.

White shook her head. "Black and Emboar might be strong," she told Samurott, "but they don't have our grace, that's for sure." Samurott grunted in agreement.

Emmet re-entered from the cart behind her, fixing his Pokeballs back onto his belt. His coat was still as immaculate and straight as the last time she had seen him, White noted in surprise. She looked down at her own scuffed up clothes in embarrassment. _No wonder I didn't stand a chance the first time I fought those twins, _she thought.

"The thugs in our cart were apprehended, of course." Emmet began. "Austin is keeping watch over them in case they try to cause any more harm." He raised an eyebrow as he observed the two unconscious strangers and the completely sodden floor of the train cart. "And I see you did no less as well."

"Well, they were good for common criminals," White confessed, "But not good enough when its against us."

"That's the spirit." Emmet grinned, but his smile then faltered. "Well, actually, we do have a slight problem."

"Huh?"

"Remember the mysterious woman you were telling us about?" White nodded. Emmet continued, his voice distressed. "Well, she's currently residing in the caboose nearby Austin, unfortunately. And, well… She's requested a personal battle with you, the champion."

"Huh?!" White repeated herself, even more confused. "Why didn't you just apprehend her on the spot?"

"To tell you the truth, I felt a bit intimidated." Emmet confessed sheepishly. "I can always fight much better when I'm with my brother, and this woman felt…dangerous. I felt it in our best interests if we allowed her what she wanted. After all, what harm is one fight?"

"Ehh…" White's dubious look remained, but Emmet hastily shoved her toward the back cart.

"We probably shouldn't idle while this woman remains in the proximity." Emmet explained urgently. White finally nodded in agreement, clearing the suspicion from her mind. After all, how much harder could this fight be than her fight for the title of Champion?

Two carts over, White finally approached Austin, who was seemingly alone save for three unconscious intruders tied up in the corner, haphazardly thrown into the pile of boxes. He paced nervously, his entire upper body in the most rigid stance White had ever seen. As White walked up to him, he gave her a blisteringly nervous glare, finally managing to jut his thumb towards the final cart behind him. White nodded, and proceeded through the doorway that would bring her to the supposedly intimidating woman.

The air was cold when White stepped into the final cart, and uncertainy clutched at her heart. The woman was standing near the back of the cart, her gaze focused on the window. As White approached, the woman glanced at her, offering her a genuine smile. She shifted her weight from the window back to her feet, and began to approach White, the slight clacking of her shoes the only noise in the dead silent cart. At a closer glance, the woman didn't look like the kind of person interested in stealing the kind of clothing Elesa shows off at her shows, White mused. Yet, wearing a long black jacket, a dark violet V neck and some leather pants leading to high heel boots with white and purple accents, White thought it was still an oddly fashionable choice of clothing. The woman stopped a few feet from White, politely bowing before she spoke.

"Hello." The woman finally spoke, her voice smooth and low. "I'd like to formally introduce myself. You may call be Blaire."

"Umm…" White responded rather unprofessionally, taken aback by the formal manner of her introduction. "My name is-"

"I already know who you are, White." Blaire interrupted, not unkindly.

"Well…" White could feel her face begin to grow hot from embarrassment. "Well, if you know who I am, then we might as well just cut to the chase."

Blaire gave a knowing smile, and calmly pulled a Pokeball from her pocket. "If you insist." She let out an uncharacteristic giggle of excitement as she tossed the Pokeball in front of her, and red light filled the small space.

White heard the Pokemon before she saw it. A mighty roar erupted from the burst of light, followed by the murderous claws and fangs of a massive Garchomp. Its battle-scarred muzzle thrust forward first, sniffing out its adversary, and it let out another terrible scream, arching its spine and displaying its gigantic teeth. _Dragon and ground type…_ White quickly assessed the situation, not letting the fearsome display get to her, and immediately made her decision.

"Go, Weavile!" She cried, tossing out her fourth Pokeball. A small grey blur erupted from the red light, and her Weavile circled around her five times at blinding speeds before settling down in front of her, raking its razor sharp claws against the smooth steel floor. Its pink headdress bristled in rage as it stood its ground against the much larger dragon type. _This typing should give me a huge advantage… _White thought, glancing up at her opponent. Blaire seemed entirely unperturbed by the ice type, despite her Garchomp being quadruple weak to Ice moves.

"Ooh, looks like our champion here is already underestimating her opponent." Blaire commented airily, as if she could read White's thoughts. White narrowed her eyes, trying to find a flaw with her strategy. Sure, Weavile didn't have much defense and could potentially go down after a few hits. But it was also much faster, and it would only take a few ice type moves for Garchomp to go down as well. All in all, it would be the best shot against Garchomp that she had. It would really be a fight against brute strength and cunning speed, with one being much more effective on the other. White hid another devious grin_. I have this fight in the bag._

White's eyes followed Blaire as the woman stretched casually, squinting as she cracked her fingers. Then, with lightning speed, Blaire's face immediately dropped from casual to dead serious, causing White to jump. Before she could regain her composure, Blaire was already shouting a command.

"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!" The dragon immediately leapt into action, rearing its vicious claws in the air over Weavile's head.

"Double Team!" White quickly shouted in response, and Weavile leapt into action, moving so rapidly that Garchomp was soon surrounded by carbon copies. The dragon stopped midslash, glaring and twisting its head around in confusion.

"Alright, now Ice Punch!"

At the same exact time, Blaire commanded, "Iron Tail!" taking White completely aback. Before she could tell Weavile to stop, her Pokemon had already broken its illusionary clones, and was leaping at the Garchomp's back, a bundle of ice forming on its razor claws. With extremely fast reflexes only developed through long training, the Garchomp spotted the real Weavile and whipped its tail around with all of its strength. The two attacks collided midair, but the Garchomp's sheer strength overwhelmed Weavile. The smaller Pokemon was sent hurtling away, crashing into the floor with a loud thud, causing White to wince. In the corner of her eye, she could see Blaire's slightly disappointed, pouty face.

"Surely you can't let me win in just one move?" She smirked, letting out a small laugh.

_That's right… I can't let it end in one turn,_ White thought. She clenched her fists, glancing nervously at Weavile, who still laid stretched out on the train floor. . _In his current state, Weavile can't keep this up,_ White mused. _But switching out would only show that I, the champion would need more than just one Pokemon to take down one opponent._ She let out a shaky sigh, attempting to gather her nerves.

"Weavile, can you keep going?" She asked her Pokemon, trying not to let her voice crack. Weavile stood up on shaky legs, then shook its head clear and looked back at White, glaring in anticipation and nodding. White flashed Weavile a relieved smile, and looked back up to glare at Blaire. "We're not going down that easily"!

A huge smile spread across Blaire's face. "That's exactly what I was hoping you would say."

"Weavile, Ice Shard!" The battle continued to rage, with Weavile barely scraping past massive punches and charges. Furious punches were exchanged, so blinding at times that White could hardly keep track of what was happening. At one point White physically cringed as Garchomp seemed to land a huge slash straight across Weavile's chest, but she exhaled in relief as Weavile covered its front in a thick layer of ice at the last second, causing Garchomp to recoil its arm in pain. At another point, Weavile finally managed to strike the back of Garchomp's skull with a solid Ice Punch, sending it reeling into the ground. White's heart momentarily soared in triumph, but quickly sank as Garchomp quickly retaliated through a well-placed Dragon Claw.

At last, with both Pokemon run down and panting heavily, White knew the decisive move was at hand.

"Finish this with Dragon Rush!" Blaire ordered, and White had a sudden idea.

"Weavile, get under it and hit it with a Night Slash!" She yelled. Weavile quickly bundled up dark energy within its claws, and leapt directly under the charge of the furious Garchomp. Blaire suddenly smirked, causing White to recoil.

"Iron Tail!" She suddenly yelled, and Garchomp spun on the ground, coming to a dead stop. Weavile, unable to react in time, continued in its leap, claws outstretched. Garchomp quickly swung its hardened tail around, connecting directly with Weavile's stomach. The light Pokemon had the breath knocked out of it, and it went hurtling straight at White, who stood there in shock at the rapid turn of events. She caught the battered Pokemon in her arms, but the force of the blow caused White as well to go flying backwards into the door, where she fell to her knees. Garchomp was cast in a red glow as Blaire summoned it back into its Pokeball, turning back to White and walking over briskly. She kneeled down to where the Pokemon and trainer lay in a dazed heap, and offered a smile.

"I'm not disappointed." Blaire assured her. "And I'm positive we'll be meeting again." She offered a brief smile, placing her hand on her cheek before quickly withdrawing it. As she stood, she took out another Pokeball from her pocket, and glanced down at White. "The heist may have been a failure," she spoke, almost half to herself, "but I've found something much better than what I was looking for." With those final words, Blaire stalked to the end of the train, where she opened the final door. She slammed it back closed behind her, and White only heard the distant shriek of a Hydreigon taking flight before Blaire was completely gone.

White was left with a sinking pit of dread in her stomach, unable to be shaken away. _What is Blaire really after here? And is she the one behind all the crimes that have been happening around Gear Station? _Panicked questions flitted around her brain in a whirlwind until she grew exhausted, realizing there was little she could think of with such little knowledge in her head. Inwardly, she cursed her own incompetence.

Suddenly, the doors behind White opened, and in burst Holly and Morgan, two of the crew members she hadn't even seen since they had boarded. Their uniforms were both rather scuffed looking, but nonetheless fire shone in their eyes.

"We got the last of them out." Morgan declared triumphantly, but the light died as she noted the battered state White was in.

"Oh, poor things." Holly quickly ducked down to inspect the two. Weavile still laid unconscious in White's arms, while White herself was looking rather ragged. Holly gently pried Weavile out of White's arms to inspect the ice Pokemon for any bad injuries.

Morgan hovered back, anxiously switching her gaze between Holly and White. "Are you ok?" She finally asked White sheepishly.

White offered a weak smile. "I'm fine, but it's Weavile we should worry about. I shouldn't have made it lose that fight."

Holly stood up after her thorough inspection of Weavile. "I'm going to go check and see if we have extra potions lying around, but Weavile is going to be fine." She exited quickly through the door, leaving Morgan and White alone with the injured Pokemon.

After a slight pause, Morgan sat down cross-legged beside White. The two remained silent for several moments, before Morgan finally broke the silence. "Hey. Don't beat yourself up too much about that woman getting away, ok?"

White glanced at her in surprise. "Hey, you're actually pretty caring."

Morgan let out an exaggerated sigh. "I had a feeling you would immediately assume I'm rude." She placed her hands together as if praying. "I just want to reassure you that it isn't the case."

White allowed a small smile. "I'm really sorry for thinking that way. I was definitely wrong, huh?"

Morgan smiled, her face blushing slightly at the compliment. At this, White smiled even broader. "Hey, and you even look better smiling like that rather than glaring like usual!" Morgan couldn't respond to this, and only blushed harder. The continued cycle of blushing and smiling ended up with White laughing and wiping her watery eyes at the expense of Morgan's increasing embarrassment. Weavile fidgeted slightly in its unconscious state as the train hit slight bumps.

Ingo's voice suddenly emanated from the speaker system. "We will be arriving shortly at Gear Station. Please prepare to disembark when we approach our destination."

White collected Weavile in her arms. "That's our cue." She said, her mouth set in a determined line.


End file.
